Seasons 1-5

The Way We Was (Season Two, Episode 12)

“The Way We Was” was the first Simpsons flashback episode. In it, Marge is recounting to Bart and Lisa how she met Homer. The story takes place in 1974, and it is explained that Homer and Marge are both seniors in High School. The characters in the flashback are seen wearing typical 1970s fashion, namely collared shirts, bellbottoms and long, straight hair. The episode features Marge participating in a “Bra-Burning” feminist protest which is often associated with 1960s-70s second-wave feminism. However, bra-burning was not as common in the ‘70s as people believe. The 1968 “Miss America” protest that sparked this belief involved throwing bras in the trash, but they were never lit on fire (Gibson).

I Married Marge (Season 3, Episode 12)

In “I Married Marge”, Homer tells his children about Marge’s and his wedding, and Bart’s birth.  The flashback is set in 1980, which is reinforced by the fact that the night Bart is conceived, Homer and Marge had just seen “The Empire Strikes Back”. The clip above shows a scene of Homer giving away the now-iconic ending to the film to a lineup of people waiting to see it.

The episode features a 1980 Dr. Hibbert sporting an afro, which is a hairstyle typically associated with that time period. Marge's hair is in her signature style, although shorter. Homer's style in the flashback is similar to his "present day" white collared shirt, but he is only just beginning to lose his hair. Because the episode aired only 11 years after 1980, it makes sense that their styles aren't as radically different as they are in "The Way We Was". 

Lisa's First Word (Season 4, episode 10)

The episode “Lisa’s First Word” aired in 1992 and is a flashback episode to 1984. It begins with the family in present day, trying to get Maggie to speak for the first time. This inspires Marge to tell the story of Lisa’s first word. 

As in other Flashbacks, Dr. Hibbert’s hair reflects the era. The other characters’ clothing remains relatively similar to present day, with Homer still having some of his hair. 

The episode makes several references to ‘80s phenomena, such as Ms. Pac-Man. It also includes a reference to the 1984 McDonald’s Olympic marketing campaign, in which they lost millions of dollars providing scratch tickets that gave away free food and drinks when USA won medals. In the episode, Krusty Burger does a similar promotion and, like McDonalds, loses a lot of money. The reason both promotions were so disastrous is because in the 1984 Olympics, America won an unpredictable 174 medals.

Homer’s Barbershop Quartet (Season 5, Episode 1)

“Homer’s Barbershop Quartet” is the fifth season premiere of The Simpsons. It aired in 1993 and the flashback featured is of 1985. In the episode, Marge, Bart and Lisa find a record at a yard sale of “The Be Sharps”, with Homer’s picture on it. Homer proceeds to tell the story of how he was in a Barbershop Quartet in the ‘80s with Apu, Principle Skinner, and Barney (originally Chief Wiggum, but he was replaced before the group became famous). 

Time continuity remains between this episode and the previous flashback “Lisa’s First Word”. Lisa is a baby in the flashback, and Marge gets a “Baby on Board” sticker for her car. This inspires Homer to write “The Be Sharps’” hit, “Baby on Board”.

Although this episode takes place in 1985, most of the cultural parallels are to The Beatles, who were popular in the 1960s-1970s. For instance, the name of their second album was “Bigger Than Jesus”, which is based on the fact that John Lennon said The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”, which created a lot of controversy (Swanson). The album cover for “Bigger Than Jesus” is also a parody of The Beatles’ “Abby Road” album cover.